Juxtatarot
Footballguy
Yeah, my “Achilles’ Heel” on coldness is always my hands. With three layers of light gloves under two pairs of mittens, I can handle sub zero running.
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Ran a 10k - Official Thread (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Ned
- Start date
Yeah, my “Achilles’ Heel” on coldness is always my hands. With three layers of light gloves under two pairs of mittens, I can handle sub zero running.
MAC_32
Footballguy
About to head there right now to do this for the first time this winter. To this point I've been able to navigate mother nature since that one real nasty storm hit over xmas, so I just took a week off. Now we're in actual winter though. I'll jog on side streets when the sidewalks are not runnable and nothing's falling from the sky, but we're on hour 40 of the snow globe and it appears we have...oooooh, only about about 120-150 more hours to go.
xulf
Footballguy
I really hate doing SOS workouts on the treadmill and will do anything I can not to. Easy runs, no problem while catching up on some TV.
This week has sucked for my SOS runs though.
Looking forward to the treadmill tomorrow
This week has sucked for my SOS runs though.
- Sunday I did 14 in a blizzard.
- Tuesday a 4 x 1200 on side streets because all the snow from Sunday turned to ice.
- Today I did 9.5 @ gmp. Problem was we got 4+ inches of wet snow yesterday and it's all melting into a soupy/slushy mess. Running hard through that in soaking shoes was terrible and waaaaay more exhausting than I anticipated.
Looking forward to the treadmill tomorrow
Zasada
Footballguy
@JShare87, care to share your goals for Sunday? Weather, according to WU: 63F to start with light winds, climbing to 73F by mid-morning. You'll probably need two pairs of gloves. Winds light to start, and then picking up through the race. But should be OK by the time you're done. Mostly sunny.
I did some digging for runner tracking, and it appears that the link is here. Bib 425!
Interesting course!
I did some digging for runner tracking, and it appears that the link is here. Bib 425!
Interesting course!
Zasada
Footballguy
Ice is a no-go for me. Cold and snow -- no problem. But I'm not breaking an ankle just to be "tough". Treadmill on those days, for sure.
JShare87
Footballguy
I feel like I’m obligated to speak on this. In all seriousness, hand warmers inside the gloves work wonders. Obviously I don’t deal with the temps y’all do, but a hand warmer on the top of my hand and one in the palm is a game-changer. With a pair of gloves, of course.
Zasada
Footballguy
I was reading some of the pacer bios for @JShare87's race this weekend, and this quote from one of the pacers was awesome:
Q: Tell us your best pacing experience.
A: Fireman carrying a girl that I paced to a BQ to the medical tent after her body shut down after finishing the Illinois Marathon in 2016. It was cold and rainy and windy and no one was there to help her but she kept screaming “it was so worth it!” through tears as I carried her 70 yards to the medical tent. I’ve never seen a human push so hard in my life.
I wonder if @SteelCurtain has seen anything similar!
Q: Tell us your best pacing experience.
A: Fireman carrying a girl that I paced to a BQ to the medical tent after her body shut down after finishing the Illinois Marathon in 2016. It was cold and rainy and windy and no one was there to help her but she kept screaming “it was so worth it!” through tears as I carried her 70 yards to the medical tent. I’ve never seen a human push so hard in my life.
I wonder if @SteelCurtain has seen anything similar!
JShare87
Footballguy
Funny, I didn’t even know my bib number. A little bummed about the weather. It seems like I’m going to miss perfect weather (45 degrees and 70% humidity) by one day. Nothing I can do about that. According to Garmin, my fitness is lower than when I started 12 weeks ago. VO2Max was a 58 when I started and currently a 56
. Down from a 62 the last time I ran Celebration three years ago.With all that doom and gloom being spoken into the universe, I’m confident. I’m going to start a bit slow 7:45-8:00 for the first few miles, and hopefully settle into my goal pace around 7:15-7:25. I want to be smart, but I also want to PR. My PR was run at this same race three years ago (3:14:20). Even though my fitness was better back then, I was sick that day and ran a stupid race. I think the three years of experience I’ve gained since will help.
I’m really happy to even attempt a marathon given the state of my knee. As of now, my body feels fine. No excuses. All smiles. Grateful to be running. Oh, and no gloves.
Dr_Zaius
Footballguy
Somehow my hands seem to be pretty cold resistant for some reason. I only wear light gloves most of the time, and if it's above 20 they're often in the pocket after mile 3. Sub zero of course would be a different story. My biggest complaint in the cold is that I get a lot of tearing from my eyes, and sometimes by the end of a run they're chafed from the salt, blinking, and wind.
Yes, you definitely have to be smart. I'm never doing a workout on the ice for safety reasons. On the other hand, I think an easy run is pretty low risk even in slick conditions, and also feel like it encourages a "soft" stride which is probably good for avoiding overuse injuries.
Dr_Zaius
Footballguy
I trust your gut over the Garmin in this case. You've put in some impressive runs, and I've personally gone through periods where I feel the Garmin VO2 Max is wrong.VO2Max was a 58 when I started and currently a 56
With all that doom and gloom being spoken into the universe, I’m confident
tri-man 47
Footballguy
That's a fantastic sequence under those conditions. The things we do when we're training for a race!I really hate doing SOS workouts on the treadmill and will do anything I can not to. Easy runs, no problem while catching up on some TV.
This week has sucked for my SOS runs though.
- Sunday I did 14 in a blizzard.
- Tuesday a 4 x 1200 on side streets because all the snow from Sunday turned to ice.
- Today I did 9.5 @ gmp. Problem was we got 4+ inches of wet snow yesterday and it's all melting into a soupy/slushy mess. Running hard through that in soaking shoes was terrible and waaaaay more exhausting than I anticipated.
Looking forward to the treadmill tomorrow
gruecd
Footballguy
I’ve actually learned to really like doing my workouts on my tread. I prefer it, actually. Just dial in the pace, and let ‘er rip!I really hate doing SOS workouts on the treadmill and will do anything I can not to. Easy runs, no problem while catching up on some TV.
This week has sucked for my SOS runs though.
- Sunday I did 14 in a blizzard.
- Tuesday a 4 x 1200 on side streets because all the snow from Sunday turned to ice.
- Today I did 9.5 @ gmp. Problem was we got 4+ inches of wet snow yesterday and it's all melting into a soupy/slushy mess. Running hard through that in soaking shoes was terrible and waaaaay more exhausting than I anticipated.
Looking forward to the treadmill tomorrow
gruecd
Footballguy
I do all my treadmill runs at home in my basement (with three fans), and I actually go to a different gym for my strength stuff. Whenever I’m traveling, though, I’ll hop online at grab a free day pass for the local PF.
About to head there right now to do this for the first time this winter. To this point I've been able to navigate mother nature since that one real nasty storm hit over xmas, so I just took a week off. Now we're in actual winter though. I'll jog on side streets when the sidewalks are not runnable and nothing's falling from the sky, but we're on hour 40 of the snow globe and it appears we have...oooooh, only about about 120-150 more hours to go.
MAC_32
Footballguy
...and I'm somewhere in better. Different strokes for different folks, right? While my hatred of the dreadmill is well documented I've forced myself to some adaptation on the other side of the car accident. If the weather and surface conditions are not conducive to safely running outdoors then I'll drag myself to the hamster wheel, but I struggle immensely staying focused. As a result neither easy runs nor workouts are good ideas - the former due to boredom and the latter because that's how one gets hurt. The output ends up primarily junk miles. I justify it because when several of these days string together in a row like they are now it ends up being a low volume step back week anyway.I’ve actually learned to really like doing my workouts on my tread. I prefer it, actually. Just dial in the pace, and let ‘er rip!I really hate doing SOS workouts on the treadmill and will do anything I can not to. Easy runs, no problem while catching up on some TV.
This week has sucked for my SOS runs though.
- Sunday I did 14 in a blizzard.
- Tuesday a 4 x 1200 on side streets because all the snow from Sunday turned to ice.
- Today I did 9.5 @ gmp. Problem was we got 4+ inches of wet snow yesterday and it's all melting into a soupy/slushy mess. Running hard through that in soaking shoes was terrible and waaaaay more exhausting than I anticipated.
Looking forward to the treadmill tomorrow
Brony
Footballguy
So happy that you are in a position to attempt this. Good luck GB!
gruecd
Footballguy
Really happy for you, GB. Get 'er done!
gruecd
Footballguy
Agonizing over how I want to handle my LR tomorrow. Temps will be in the teens, which isn't terrible at all, but the roads are snow covered and slippery, and I was hoping to interject a little bit of quality into this one. As of right now, kinda leaning towards the Pettit, which would mean a mind-numbing 59 laps (but in a perfectly climate-controlled, low-humidity 50ish degrees). I'd probably break it down into 3-4 "sets" with some pick-ups the last 800M of every few laps.
xulf
Footballguy
Recycled, but applicable
California man runs an ultramarathon in roundabout - Canadian Running Magazine
Another indication that ultrarunners are a different breed
ChiefD
Footballguy
That was my plan too. See you at the Pettit tomorrow!
tri-man 47
Footballguy
I think you're better off at Pettit. Since you want some quality anyway, use the laps to facilitate that. A thought: Push on the 5th lap, then the 4th after that, then the 3rd, then the 2nd but go strong for two laps. That's a :doesthemath: 15 lap set. 4 sets ...done.
ChiefD
Footballguy
Zasada
Footballguy
@JShare is probably underway at this point. Live tracking (bib 425) doesn't appear to be working yet (if it will at all). First hope of an update could be 10K.
He planned to open a little slower than MP, so if the 10K update is what we can expect to see, hopefully that will happen in about 20-25 minutes.
He planned to open a little slower than MP, so if the 10K update is what we can expect to see, hopefully that will happen in about 20-25 minutes.
tri-man 47
Footballguy
SteelCurtain
Footballguy
Still seeing nothing regarding our man. RaceJoy is flukey in my experience.
SteelCurtain
Footballguy
Just got my first text. Passed 10k in 49:21
Zasada
Footballguy
That's behind his planned pace, wonder if he's taking it easier to start. Hope his knee is OK.
Juxtatarot
Footballguy
Juxtatarot
Footballguy
Perhaps the sign was implying "If you're running the marathon and you've just finished your first loop, go straight. If you've done your second loop, turn right." Could there have been a separate sign for half-marathoners?
Absolutely poorly written.
gianmarco
Footballguy
I'm looking at this course map and it's such a ridiculous way to route a marathon and HM.
It's like a loop within a loop so trying to say which way to turn based on a loop without any other context is terrible during a race.
It should have just been "HM right, Marathon straight". And, at some point before the leader gets there again, you post something that says "Marathon Finish to the right" and put someone at that spot and make sure the marathoners turn right.
JShare87
Footballguy
Assuming that’s what they meant, but it caused some serious confusion with everyone. I keep replaying it, and there’s no way I’d ever follow the first loop arrow. In my head, I’m like, I have to do my second loop. There was only one sign, and that’s what it said.
Also, the half pacer went straight. I have to take ownership because I had my headphones in. I saw people stopping, asking questions, turning around, but seeing the half pacer go straight told me I did the right thing. Again, assume you are a half-marathoner, why would they head in the direction that says second loop? They’re not running a second loop.
bushdocda
Footballguy
HM pacer going the wrong way would have messed me up big time.
Sorry Share.
JShare87
Footballguy
Celebration (Half) Marathon Race Report
Today wasn’t my day and it was never going to be. The weather was brutal because of the humidity and a lot of people were struggling, including bib 425. The nerves were there at the start as usual and my Garmin hit me with a -4 .75 miles in. I knew I was in for a long day. That was the last time I looked at my watch besides for when it buzzed after each completed mile.
My body felt okay at the start and during the race, but I was completely drenched by mile 4. My wife was waiting for me around mile 9. I got my bottle from her and continued on (no kiss). I was struggling and knew it was going to be a tough finish, but I did start to feel a bit better around mile 11 from my bottle. I thought, just keep it under 8 mins and get to the line.
After mile 12 is where my blunder happened. I’m running beside the 1:45 half marathon pacer and a few others. I see a sign ahead and some confusion from runners. I can see the sign from a good distance away and it reads:
Marathon
First loop
Second loop
That’s all the sign said. I didn’t see another sign, and honestly didn’t put much thought into the way I was supposed to go. My thought process was, I need to run my second loop, so I’ll go right. We are at about 12.25-12.5 miles at this point. I realize now that technically isn’t a “full loop.”
There was definitely a lot of confusion with runners asking questions and turning around. I knew I should’ve stopped and asked for clarification, so I went to my Apple Watch to pause my music while I was still running. My music wasn’t showing up on my watch face, instead it was the warning message to turn my volume down. Now my only option was to take off my headphones, but I was scared they would unsync. After seeing the half-marathon pacer go the opposite way of me, I assumed I was good and continued on.
In my mind it was about a minute or two later, the pacer passed by me. It was at this point I knew I F’ed up. I take out my headphones and say, “Is this the way for the half marathoners?” His exact response was, “I sure hope so because if not, I’m screwed. Then I ask another guy if this was the way for the half marathon, and he responds, “yep, you’re going the right way.” I told him I signed up for the full and thought about turning around to get back on track. Then, the guy patted me on the back and said, “I’m sorry man, that sign back there was ridiculous. Maybe they can just give you a time for the half.” It was then that I decided to just run the half and be done with it.
If I was having a good day, I’m sure I would’ve turned around and ran 27 miles. Kind of glad I wasn’t having a good day because I would’ve been so pissed about adding a few minutes to my time.
All in all, I’m not upset or mad. I have to take some responsibility for not turning off my headphones and asking for clarification. If there was a separate sign for half-marathoners, I certainly didn’t see. Even if I did, I still would’ve went the way it was telling marathoners to go for their 2nd loop because I feel like I already ran one loop and needed to complete my second.
Thanks for the tracking and well wishes.
TLDR: I made a wrong turn and ran a half marathon instead of a full.
Today wasn’t my day and it was never going to be. The weather was brutal because of the humidity and a lot of people were struggling, including bib 425. The nerves were there at the start as usual and my Garmin hit me with a -4 .75 miles in. I knew I was in for a long day. That was the last time I looked at my watch besides for when it buzzed after each completed mile.
My body felt okay at the start and during the race, but I was completely drenched by mile 4. My wife was waiting for me around mile 9. I got my bottle from her and continued on (no kiss). I was struggling and knew it was going to be a tough finish, but I did start to feel a bit better around mile 11 from my bottle. I thought, just keep it under 8 mins and get to the line.
After mile 12 is where my blunder happened. I’m running beside the 1:45 half marathon pacer and a few others. I see a sign ahead and some confusion from runners. I can see the sign from a good distance away and it reads:
Marathon
First loop
Second loop
That’s all the sign said. I didn’t see another sign, and honestly didn’t put much thought into the way I was supposed to go. My thought process was, I need to run my second loop, so I’ll go right. We are at about 12.25-12.5 miles at this point. I realize now that technically isn’t a “full loop.”
There was definitely a lot of confusion with runners asking questions and turning around. I knew I should’ve stopped and asked for clarification, so I went to my Apple Watch to pause my music while I was still running. My music wasn’t showing up on my watch face, instead it was the warning message to turn my volume down. Now my only option was to take off my headphones, but I was scared they would unsync. After seeing the half-marathon pacer go the opposite way of me, I assumed I was good and continued on.
In my mind it was about a minute or two later, the pacer passed by me. It was at this point I knew I F’ed up. I take out my headphones and say, “Is this the way for the half marathoners?” His exact response was, “I sure hope so because if not, I’m screwed. Then I ask another guy if this was the way for the half marathon, and he responds, “yep, you’re going the right way.” I told him I signed up for the full and thought about turning around to get back on track. Then, the guy patted me on the back and said, “I’m sorry man, that sign back there was ridiculous. Maybe they can just give you a time for the half.” It was then that I decided to just run the half and be done with it.
If I was having a good day, I’m sure I would’ve turned around and ran 27 miles. Kind of glad I wasn’t having a good day because I would’ve been so pissed about adding a few minutes to my time.
All in all, I’m not upset or mad. I have to take some responsibility for not turning off my headphones and asking for clarification. If there was a separate sign for half-marathoners, I certainly didn’t see. Even if I did, I still would’ve went the way it was telling marathoners to go for their 2nd loop because I feel like I already ran one loop and needed to complete my second.
Thanks for the tracking and well wishes.
TLDR: I made a wrong turn and ran a half marathon instead of a full.
tri-man 47
Footballguy
I agree, @Juxtatarot, with what you've explained. That's certainly what they wanted to say ...but they had to do it with short, cryptic signs. Ideally, they'd have volunteers there pointing that out. However, even that isn't effective enough. Juxt, we've run that Naperville Trail HM, and they have one of those situations - first time through a trail section, turn right; second time through, turn left. I recall being at that juncture one year (cheering you on, maybe), and it was crazy. Some leaders had to be caught before they turned right a second time; a number of slower runners had to be shouted at to turn right for their second loop. After a while, it was harder to know exactly who was first loop or second loop.
In the midst of a race, it's really hard to logic your way through those situations. The brain just doesn't want to go there. Ideally, we know the course in advance and don't need much guidance. But the cluster#### here for you, @JShare87 , was the HM pacer making a mistake and going straight. With that happening, that throws a wrench in everything - advance knowledge; signage; volunteers. What a mess.
But as you note, it was a lousy day for a marathon effort anyway ...so maybe for the best. But still, super disappointing to toe the line with good health and then have the day and the circumstances knock you back. You deserved better. Hopefully you get another opportunity soon.
ChiefD
Footballguy
@JShare87 - it looks like you made the best of a bad situation. And I’m not sure I would place a lot of blame on yourself: clearly it was an issue and the race directors have to take some responsibility here.
That simply CANNOT happen when planning out a race course: people train for months and sometimes years for their one moment and there should be NO confusion on which way to go.
I’m glad you made it through a cycle again and to me that’s a victory in itself. Hopefully there another marathon close in the next month or so you can run.
That simply CANNOT happen when planning out a race course: people train for months and sometimes years for their one moment and there should be NO confusion on which way to go.
I’m glad you made it through a cycle again and to me that’s a victory in itself. Hopefully there another marathon close in the next month or so you can run.
Last edited:
Zasada
Footballguy
This.
At Houston, it was a very simple split. HMers go left, full marathoners go right. They had multiple signs, multiple volunteers, and huge barriers making sure that nobody was zoned-out and went the wrong way. For a split which was 10x simpler than what you had to deal with.
Absolutely don't shoulder any of the blame for this, @JShare87. Your job was to go out and run. The organizers' job was to design a course that was easy to navigate and backed-up by volunteers. They failed.
SteelCurtain
Footballguy
@JShare87 - the bright side, it was warm and sounded like it was going to be a slog to go 26.2, so instead of trashing your body, you got out at 13.1 and in a position to give 26.2 another go hopefully soon.
I recommend you send a note to race director. I’d keep it based on the facts and explain what you experienced. A lot of smaller races are struggling with sponsorships, sign ups and volunteers. Who knows if a group of volunteers bailed the morning of? And lots of race directors are volunteers too.
I’ve worked extensively with the guy who staffs this race with pacers. He sends a pretty comprehensive feedback form for the pacers to fill out post race. I’m assuming the pacer you reference will bring it up. If enough people mention it to the RD, hopefully there will be a focus on this area. This race is pretty well established so I’m sure there was some breakdown this year.
I recommend you send a note to race director. I’d keep it based on the facts and explain what you experienced. A lot of smaller races are struggling with sponsorships, sign ups and volunteers. Who knows if a group of volunteers bailed the morning of? And lots of race directors are volunteers too.
I’ve worked extensively with the guy who staffs this race with pacers. He sends a pretty comprehensive feedback form for the pacers to fill out post race. I’m assuming the pacer you reference will bring it up. If enough people mention it to the RD, hopefully there will be a focus on this area. This race is pretty well established so I’m sure there was some breakdown this year.
JShare87
Footballguy
It really is a great race. I was thinking the entire race how well-organized it was. Just don’t understand the logic behind that sign. I also don’t understand how they didn’t get a new sign by the time I got to that point. There were over 2,500 runners, I got to that point much later than a bunch of runners.
Juxtatarot
Footballguy
235 miles for me in January. That's the most since September 2021 when I was breaking down in marathon training. 59 miles last week was my highest weekly total since that time too. I feel pretty good health-wise and think I can sustain higher mileage for the next few months. I'll sign up for a spring half marathon when I think I'm ready. I'm not in the shape I was in 2021 but with consistently higher mileage for a while I think I can get there.
tri-man 47
Footballguy
January update: My focus this year is to take advantage of the new terrain and get more elevation throughout the year. The goal of 50K feet is a normal occurrence for you regular, non-Floridian runners (and child's play for @Zasada), but as I'd stated, it's a big increase over my previous high of 30K. So far, so good. 4,245 ft in January, which annualizes to about 51K. I find that I'm planning my runs based on elevation, not mileage ..adding extra detours and loops just to pick up an extra slope or hill. [Mileage of 144 was decent enough for the wintry month.]
The general plan is to find an extra edge or two as a means of incremental improvement. Hopefully the extra elevation helps to some degree. My other focus has been on cadence (stride), and that's been just a notch better as well. Cadence over the last several weeks has been averaging about 180 vs. 183/184 a year ago.
The general plan is to find an extra edge or two as a means of incremental improvement. Hopefully the extra elevation helps to some degree. My other focus has been on cadence (stride), and that's been just a notch better as well. Cadence over the last several weeks has been averaging about 180 vs. 183/184 a year ago.
bushdocda
Footballguy
Just under 154 miles and a good chunk of strength and yoga to try to raise the floor a bit. Lots of leg drive stuff and lunges bc I am just terrible at them.
Fun trail sufferfest event the other day that was a smart thing to do given my legs had just started feeling better earlier in the week. My winter has been very mild so far and I still hate it.
Fun trail sufferfest event the other day that was a smart thing to do given my legs had just started feeling better earlier in the week. My winter has been very mild so far and I still hate it.
